exhibiting his contempt. Accordingly, he called for the bill of fare, and, observing that only one pig was nominated in the bill, commanded the steward to put down another, the only addition which he could be prevailed upon to make. Besides the general homeliness of such an entertainment, it is necessary, in order to give point to the story, to include a remark of Wilson's, "that this dish is not very pleasing to the Scotch nation for the most part.' In 1621 the earl was again sent to France, in order to mediate between Louis XIII. and the French Protestants. He was also at Madrid during the matrimonial visit of Prince Charles, and corresponded with King James; but that he was employed officially is not probable. It may be here remarked that, notwithstanding the earl's talents for diplomacy were at least respectable, not one of his three missions was attended with success. His splendid folly with regard to costume, even Lord Clarendon has condescended to mention. "He was surely," says his lordship, "a man of the greatest expense in his own person, of any in the age he lived; and introduced more of that expense in the excess of clothes and diet, than any other man; and was, indeed, the original of all those inventions, from which others did but transcribe copies." Arthur Wilson tells us that "one of the meanest of his suits was so fine as to look like romance.” This particular dress the historian himself saw, and thus describes: "The cloak and hose were made of very fine white beaver, embroidered richly all over with gold and silver, the cloak, almost to the cape, within and without, having no lining but embroidery ; the doublet was cloth of gold, embroidered so thick that it could not be discerned; and a white beaver hat suitable, brimful of embroidery, both above and below." But it was in his feasts and entertainments that his extravagant prodigality shone most conspicuously. Like the Emperor Heliogabalus, he seems to have thought that what was cheaply obtained was scarcely worth eating. Since the days when that purpled profligate smothered his guests in rooms filled with roses, more fantastic hospitality can hardly be recorded. Osborne's account of one of the earl's banquets is too curious not to be inserted in his own words: "The Earl of Carlisle was one of the quorum that brought in the vanity of ante-suppers, not heard of in our forefathers' time, and for aught I have read, or at least remember, unpractised by the most luxurious tyrants. The manner of which was to have the board covered, at the first entrance of the guests, with dishes as high as a tall man could well reach, and dearest viands sea or land could afford. And all this once seen, and having feasted the eyes of the invited, was in a manner thrown away, |